Former Michigan Winner Dave Mader, 62, Headed Back to Michigan International Speedway

TOLEDO, Ohio (May 18, 2018) — In 1991, Alabama born-and-bred Dave Mader III parked his No. 11 Clint Folsom-owned Buick in Victory Lane at Michigan Int’l Speedway. He hasn’t been back since; but that will change when Mader drives through the gates for the ZOMONGO 200 coming Friday afternoon, June 8.

Mader, who turns 63 on June 30, led the final 15 laps en route to his lone ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards win on June 22, 1991.

“I remember it well,” said Mader. “I know I started 21st and drove to the front. It was a great day. I had a great car obviously because Stanley Smith came back the next race at Michigan and won. It wasn’t just me. I drove the Seal Tech Buick for Clint Folsom. I was just lucky to have a really good car.”

Mader, who grew up in Homewood, Alabama, also finished second in ARCA races at Pocono and Talladega that same ’91 season.

“In ’91, I drove for Clint Folsom in the ARCA races…won Michigan and finished second twice. Shoulda won both those other races. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. I look forward to going back to Michigan and completing that mission.”

Mader is a 4-time NASCAR All-American Challenge Series super late model champion, and won the prestigious Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida in 1978. Still up on the wheel, Mader won four super late model races on the Montgomery, Alabama half-mile in 2017. Mader grew up racing at Birmingham Int’l Raceway.

“Michigan actually reminded me a lot of Birmingham. Birmingham’s a short track, but it’s got a little dogleg in the frontstretch like Michigan. And believe it or not, it drives a lot like Michigan. There were a lot of similarities. That’s the reason I got along so well at Michigan…I loved it. There are not too many tracks I haven’t loved.”

Mader believes that Michigan puts it more into the driver’s hands.

“You’re going to have to be a driver at Michigan. Anywhere that you have to let up in the corners puts more in the hands of a driver. Hopefully, that will throw it my way a little bit. That’s one reason I want to go back to Michigan…it puts it back in the driver’s hands more, unlike Daytona and Talladega.”

If Mader were to happen to win at Michigan, he would become the oldest superspeedway winner in stock car history. The oldest superspeedway winner in stock car history is still six-time ARCA champion Iggy Katona, who won the Daytona ARCA 200 at age 57 in 1974.The 37th running of the ZOMONGO 200, live on FS1, serves as the weekend show-opener for the Sunday afternoon grand finale – the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400.

Located in the Irish Hills of Brooklyn, Michigan, the renowned two-mile superspeedway is about an hour away from ARCA’s Temperance, Michigan-based home office, and has long been considered the tour’s hometown superspeedway. The ARCA sanction, in its 66th consecutive season, is well known and established in the area.